第94章

When evening came and the fires were lighted round the lodges, a select family circle convened in the neighborhood of Reynal's domicile.It was composed entirely of his squaw's relatives, a mean and ignoble clan, among whom none but the Hail-Storm held forth any promise of future distinction.Even his protests were rendered not a little dubious by the character of the family, less however from any principle of aristocratic distinction than from the want of powerful supporters to assist him in his undertakings, and help to avenge his quarrels.Raymond and I sat down along with them.There were eight or ten men gathered around the fire, together with about as many women, old and young, some of whom were tolerably good-looking.As the pipe passed round among the men, a lively conversation went forward, more merry than delicate, and at length two or three of the elder women (for the girls were somewhat diffident and bashful) began to assail Raymond with various pungent witticisms.Some of the men took part and an old squaw concluded by bestowing on him a ludicrous nick name, at which a general laugh followed at his expense.Raymond grinned and giggled, and made several futile attempts at repartee.

Knowing the impolicy and even danger of suffering myself to be placed in a ludicrous light among the Indians, I maintained a rigid inflexible countenance, and wholly escaped their sallies.

In the morning I found, to my great disgust, that the camp was to retain its position for another day.I dreaded its languor and monotony, and to escape it, I set out to explore the surrounding mountains.I was accompanied by a faithful friend, my rifle, the only friend indeed on whose prompt assistance in time of trouble Icould implicitly rely.Most of the Indians in the village, it is true, professed good-will toward the whites, but the experience of others and my own observation had taught me the extreme folly of confidence, and the utter impossibility of foreseeing to what sudden acts the strange unbridled impulses of an Indian may urge him.When among this people danger is never so near as when you are unprepared for it, never so remote as when you are armed and on the alert to meet it any moment.Nothing offers so strong a temptation to their ferocious instincts as the appearance of timidity, weakness, or security.